A true family movie that delivers the humor and adventure that you'd expect. From the quirky characters to the catchy soundtrack, Rio is a genuine "let's enjoy the ride" type of flick and this critic happened to love every second of it....

Rio is set within well...Rio (de Janiero), at least, for most of the movie. It does take a detour to Minnesota where you watch Blu (voiced by Jesse Eisenberg) grow into a comfortably domesticated bird. And while Blu is living his comfortable humanesque life, a scientist from Rio comes to persuade Linda (Blu's owner/mother) to bring Blu to Rio and help repopulate the blue macaws.

Rio is where the movie starts its adventure. Smugglers capture both Blu and Jewel (voiced by the lovely Anne Hathaway) in the hopes of making a fortune selling them. The rest I will leave you to find out, but the story is well worth the watch. While it may not be the most original movie, it has enough humor and memorable characters to look past its predictable plot. You also get to look forward to some pretty catchy music performed by the characters in the movie.

The pace of the movie is well set. The touchy moments are just long enough and the action/chase scenes aren't too short. The animated views of Rio are quite dazzling and you get to see enough of the beautiful landscape that it makes you want to call William Shatner immediately for the best deal on the next flight out. To say I don't have a complaint about this movie would be quite appropriate. One just has to view it for what it is...an animated movie directed at families.

Fun -- it happens to be the best word that I know to describe this movie. If you have a free couple hours, it's well worth a watch. It's a great family film but can be enjoyed by a single viewer as well. My only fear is that we will have to endure the inevitable sequels that will lack the heart and enthusiasm that makes this one so special.